


Joe Vampire

by Breathing2nd



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Female Protagonist, Friendship, Gen, Modern Era, POV First Person, Romance, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-26
Updated: 2016-10-13
Packaged: 2018-05-03 11:11:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5288510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Breathing2nd/pseuds/Breathing2nd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My name is Dawn, and I was a self-proclaimed vampire fangirl until I actually met one. I had considered myself an expert on the subject of vampires and their media personifications but my perception changed completely after finding out that the truth really is stranger than fiction.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my original work of fiction. My baby. My blood, sweat and tears for the past couple of years. I'm hoping to have it published one day, but I'm still tweaking and editing and trying to make it the best it can be. Joe Vampire is not the real title, but it's what I refer to it as. Feedback is appreciated. Constructive criticism preferred. I hope you fall in love with it. These characters are near and dear to me now :)

Vampires. As far as I’m concerned, the books and movies have got it all wrong. I’d go so far as to say they’ve ruined it for the undead altogether. If fiction had its way, they’d lead you to believe vampires are all inhumanly attractive and sparkle in the sun. That, or they’re brooding Parisians who are tortured by their dark past while secretly yearning for an eternal love; the final alternative being to become a monster unable to sate their unquenchable thirst for blood.

The reality is neither so glamorous nor dramatic as fiction would lead you to believe. Don’t misunderstand me; I’m not saying vampires aren’t attractive, or broody or monstrous. They are simply not the creatures their fans make them out to be. At least, not the vampires I’ve met.

My name is Dawn, and I was a self-proclaimed vampire fangirl until I actually met one. I had considered myself an expert on the subject of vampires and their media personifications, but my perception changed completely after finding out that the truth really is stranger than fiction.

He wasn’t like Lestat or Edward. Women didn’t fall over themselves to be in his company, though he certainly caught the attention of a few. To this day, I’m not sure if it was natural looks or a kind of vampire magnetism. That _is_ something the books have right: charisma. Vampires have definitely got it in spades. I think if you’re charismatic enough, people can be led to believe just about anything you want them to. They want to believe what you’re saying. They want to like you. In the books, the vampires would be naturally enthralling, but in reality, they are just really good salesmen. Their product being themselves. He was definitely charismatic, charming even, in that arrogant, confident sort of way. The sort of guy that had no problem picking up a girl at the bar or on a dance floor.  He was completely comfortable in any surrounding, and that sort of confidence can be attractive.

I’d never seen him before, but that didn’t mean much. Too many people drift in and out of nightclubs, and even owners struggle to remember frequent patrons. I was both an owner and a frequent patron. In truth, the club was owned by my very good friend, Nichole, but I held stock in the company and technically owned 15 percent of the business. Mostly, I just hung out on Fridays and Saturdays and worked as a liaison to the bands and special acts we would have on occasion once Lawrence booked them. Lawrence was another owner. There were four of us in total, each owning 15 percent, except Nichole who held the majority 55 percent. Nichole had never seen him before either, and she was good at remembering faces; especially handsome ones.

“You should go say _hi_ ,” she whispered and slid me a drink with a little sword and cherry in it. I looked up suddenly and blushed.

"Um, no. Sorry, I haven’t had _that_ many drinks yet, Nick.” I said, sipping the sweet alcohol. “Besides,” I gestured to the stranger where he had slid up behind a leggy blonde on the dance floor. “It looks like his dance card’s already full.” I laughed and pulled the little cherry off the sword skewer between my teeth. Nichole’s eyes followed mine out to the dark stranger. I couldn’t tell his height from this distance, but he wasn’t short, of that I was certain. His hair was just long enough to be a little unruly, but short enough that a quick hand through it would be enough to tame it back. It was the color of dark chocolate or espresso beans. Dark without being black. I knew his eyes had to be light, not brown, but it was impossible to know without being up close. If vampires are supposed to be pale like alabaster, then I’d have never pegged this guy for one. Not that he was some bronzed Adonis or anything; just that his complexion was like that of every other healthy man walking around. He didn’t look pale or sickly. There was no trace of glowing or sparkly skin. He just looked like every other good looking guy in the place. Nothing out of the ordinary.

“You’re staring,” Nichole announced, breaking me from my trance. Like I said, just like every other good looking guy in the place. Right? “If you won’t go talk to him, I will.” She mused.

Nichole could have had any guy she wanted. She was petite in the way that guys liked. A woman that appeared to _need_ a man to save her. Her waist was small, her breasts and hips voluptuous for her frame. She had perfect hair. The kind that was the color of warm chocolate and spun in large natural curls down either side of her heart-shaped face. Her eyes were large, dark pools and she was always expertly made-up. The only thing was, Nichole preferred girls, but that had never stopped her from getting a guy to buy her a drink, and there was usually a line of drinks waiting for her each night.

She took a final swig from her glass and smacked her lips before sliding off the bar stool. I shook my head as she headed down into the recessed floor and all its pulsating bodies. For the most part, the leggy blonde and Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome had stayed on the outer edge of the dance floor, so it was easy to watch Nichole work her magic. She sauntered over to the couple, feigning off a few come-ons along the way. Even in her stilettos, she was much shorter than both the man and woman, but it hardly seemed to matter. She was quick to assert herself into the couple’s dancing, her eyes shining as she smiled at the guy and no doubt bewitched him. I couldn’t make out what was said, or even guess, but a moment later she was headed back with a look of frustration blatant on her face. She shrugged and climbed back onto the stool next to mine.

“Can you believe that?” She asked. “Apparently, he only buys drinks for sluts.” She hissed and motioned to the bartender on duty to pour us another round.

I grinned. “What? The great and powerful Nichole shot down? Say it ain’t so!” I laughed and she frowned.

“Bitch,” she muttered, but her tone made it almost an endearment.

My eyes traveled back to the dance floor as the music changed along with the overhead lights. The couple was nowhere to be found and Nichole’s voice drifted over the sound system. “Probably went to find a dark alley.” She’d never admit it, but I think her pride had been wounded.

It would never have occurred to me that this man who waved Nichole off like a common floozy would turn out to be a member of the undead. There were no immediate red flags, but then again the literature dictates he would have been a little more obvious.

I probably wouldn’t have thought of him again if not for finding the leggy blonde in a heap in the ladies room. She seemed drunk and confused. A few girls were muttering something about a date rape drug being slipped to her while others were commenting on the massive hickey on her neck.

I pushed my way through the throng of concerned women and knelt beside the blonde. “Are you alright?” It was the appropriate question, even if the answer was obvious. She blinked a few times and seemed to have difficulty focusing on any one person. She just nodded and fought to orient herself. “What happened?” I asked, helping her to sit up better. “Did someone hurt you?” I’d seen her with the stranger on the dance floor, but that didn’t mean he’d been with her between then and now. It was certainly a good place to start, but she struck me as the type who found herself face down in a bathroom stall on a regular basis. Still, the “hickey” on her neck was more of a bruise than anything. It was all sorts of reds and purples, but as I caught a glimpse of it in the overhead lights I noticed the faint imprint of bite marks. Now, my brain didn’t immediately scream vampire attack, because that would have been silly, but I can’t say the thought didn’t cross my mind.

Rather than ask the woman such a ludicrous question, however, I just said, “I’m going to call an ambulance.” I started to stand, but the blonde grabbed hold of my arm suddenly.

Her eyes were still unfocused under the heavy lids, but she mumbled, “No doctors…” before slipping back out of consciousness.

I frowned, but said aloud, “Then I’ll call you a cab.”

Being in a club bathroom is always a little like being in a vacuum. The heartbeat of the club can’t seem to fully penetrate the confines of a restroom and when you reenter the pulse of lights and music it can be disorienting. I moved through the dimness of the club and toward the nearest bar. Without so much as a word to the bartender on duty, I slipped behind the counter and made my way to the phone located beside the register. I may not have been at the club as much as Nichole, but the staff still knew who the owners were. I called a local taxi service we kept on file and then let a couple of our security guys know what was going on. A few girls were helping the blonde out of the bathroom when our bouncers came to lead her outside.

“What the hell happened?” Nichole asked as she slipped up to the bar. I came around to the customer side of the counter and sat next to her.

“Not a hundred percent on that one. That blonde from before was passed out in the ladies room. I called her a cab.”

Nichole made a frowning face. “The one with slut magnet guy?” She asked; agitation plain in her voice.

“The same one.” I shrugged. She shook her head and slid off of her barstool. “Where are you going?” I asked.

She was already heading toward the door when she called over her shoulder, “To make sure she’s alright before she leaves. Don’t want any bad press.” And she was gone. I couldn’t blame her. The place was her baby, and she wanted to see it was a success. Even though, in the years since the economy tanked, we had flourished as a business.

We’d had the grace to buy when the market was great for buyers and the city was trying desperately to revive downtown. The building was beautiful and full of southern colonial charm smack in the middle of one-way streets and towering office buildings. It had once been a bank way back when, but something about it appealed to the locals and we’d been a hit ever since. We’d named the place, _Vamp_ , but only in the double entendre sense. Considering it meant to both remake something old and a seductive woman, it seemed rather fitting for our little club. It was just ironic that I actually met a real life vampire inside it.

“Everything alright?” I barely heard the voice over the music, but I turned toward it while answering.

“Yeah, just averting a crisis,” I said nonchalantly; my eyes searching the bar for the face to go along with the question. I felt my brow furrow at the man asking from a seat at the corner of the long bar counter. It was the one from the dance floor. The one that had been with the blonde before she had her incident, or maybe who had caused the incident in the first place.

“Well, that’s good to hear.” He said a little smugly, or maybe I just interpreted it as smug. He sure looked smug.

Up close I could see the finer details of his face. If I’d thought he was handsome before, I was upping the ante to just this side of gorgeous now that I’d gotten a better look. His eyes were pale blue, like a winter’s sky. Dark hair fell around his face like some sort of perfect, unruly mess. There was just the barest hint of a 5 o’clock shadow across the square jaw and the icing on all that beefcake was a smirk that said everything and nothing at all.

“Um… weren’t you just dancing with a blonde girl a little while ago?” I asked and I couldn’t keep the suspicion from my voice. He looked thoughtful while he took a sip of his drink. It looked like scotch.

“Sure, I danced with a few blondes tonight.” I felt my face twist into something ugly. This guy was too much. I pursed my lips together in my best ‘give me a break’ expression.

“Well, you wouldn’t have had anything to do with the one that just collapsed in the ladies room, would you? You know, the one who’d been slipped a date rape drug and had the world’s most disgusting hickey on her neck?” My tone sounded accusatory and I meant it to.

The guy almost laughed into his drink. It was a wide flash of perfect, white teeth. It made his top lip curl ever so slightly and held mischief, like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. It was a good smile.

“I didn’t drug her and the bite will fade in a few days.”

I felt my eyes bulge a little at his blatant admission. “Excuse me!” I took an involuntary step toward him, pushed by my outrage. He looked pleased and shook the ice cubes around in his glass in a motion for the bartender to refill it.

He smirked as he asked me, “Can I buy you a drink?” It was one of those looks that could stop a woman in her tracks. The sort of dark, smoldering smile that said he knew you wouldn’t say no. I’m sure it had worked on a lot of women. Maybe if the conversation had been about anything else, it would have worked on me too. As it was, this guy had just admitted to biting one of my patrons, and his sexy little smirk fell flat.

“No, but you can tell me why I found one of my patrons on the bathroom floor, dazed and confused and apparently bitten by you,” I demanded as I took the seat next to him. I made a mental note of where the exits were and where my security staff was at that moment. I figured this guy wouldn’t exactly stick around if I needed to call the cops on him.

He waited for his glass to be refilled before speaking again. The ice clinked in the squatty glass as he swirled the liquid around to cool it faster. “Because, I was hungry, she was there, I bit her, drank her blood until she passed out, and then compelled her not to remember. Oh, and not to ask for a doctor.” He said it as casually as you would discuss the weather. I felt my mouth falling open in a little ‘o’. He shrugged. “I’m a vampire, sweetie.”

That was it, the nail in the proverbial coffin and I couldn’t stop the laughter from bubbling up my throat. “Seriously?” I stared at him, completely flabbergasted. “Is that your lame way of picking up chicks? I mean, do you actually believe it works?” I couldn’t stop myself from sounding astonished. It was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard, and I actually liked vampire fiction. The thing was, I’d have expected to hear something like this from a guy who wore too much eyeliner and secretly still lived in his Mom’s basement.

I slapped my hand down on the bar and shook my head. He turned his eyes back to me and was wearing that smirk again. It was a good look for him, but now all I could think about was him trying to take a bite out of this blonde woman and talking in a bad Bela Lugosi accent.

He set his glass back down on the bar and gave me another little shrug. “You don’t believe me.” As if that wasn’t the understatement of the year. I just shook my head. He nodded and then his expression changed.

I barely noticed that smirk fall apart before his hand moved. I hadn’t actually seen it move, but it was just suddenly gripping my wrist where my arm was resting on the counter. Instinct tore a little gasp from my throat as his fingers clamped around my wrist. I tried to jerk it away, but there was no moving it. My left hand came up in a feeble attempt to pry his fingers loose, but he simply clasped hold of that one and used it to leverage himself closer. I opened my mouth to shout for help when he leaned in so that our faces were only inches apart.

“Scream and I’ll break your arms. Call for help and I’ll kill whoever comes before they ever get close enough.” My eyes widened. The smirk was back on his face as we made eye contact and I wasn’t completely sure what he was trying to prove, but I got my answer as I watched the pupil bleed away into the pale blue of his irises and into the whites of his eyes so that it filled them with blackness. “Still skeptical?” He asked, voice low, meant only for me to hear.

My gaze immediately moved to his mouth as he spoke, looking for the obvious. He must have noticed because he smiled, ever so slightly, mouth opened enough for me to see that his canines were indeed longer than they had been only moments before.

Finally, I shook my head in response and he seemed satisfied with that because he let go of my wrists and went back to his drink. “Now, where were we, oh yeah, I was telling you how I chewed on the blonde in the bathroom. Don’t worry; a little OJ and sleep and she’ll be fine.” The smugness had returned to his voice as well.

When he glanced back my way his eyes were once again the pale blue he’d arrived with. I only realized I’d been staring when he finally said, “Well? Say something? I just told you I was a vampire for crying out loud.”

“I think I’ll take that drink now.” My breath eased out in a trembling sigh. “What do you want me to say? I thought vampires weren’t supposed to go around telling everyone what they are?” I asked. I was trembling ever so slightly, but swallowing my fear as best I could. After all, it didn’t seem wise to go running for the hills just yet. He had threatened bodily harm and the death of my security personnel.

He shrugged. “I didn’t tell everyone, I told _you_.” He made it sound so simple, as if that should have made perfect sense to me.

“But isn’t there some sort of big ole vampire council or something to kill you if you tell humans what you are?” I was pulling from various sources on that one, but it seemed to be a common theme in a lot of books. He made a face that said clearly, I’d read too many books.

“I take it you’re a fan?” He sounded amused.

I felt my cheeks getting hot as I blushed. I was rubbing my wrists where they ached; the sensory memory of his hands around them still fresh on the skin. “Sorry, it’s just… well, obviously it’s not every day I meet a vampire.” Suddenly, I had a million questions and since it didn’t seem like Mr. Vampire planned to eat me in front of the bartender, I decided to press my luck. Maybe it was all the pop culture that kept me from being afraid, but in that moment, I was anything but.

He gave me a sideways look and chuckled. Reading my thoughts, he said, “Ask away.”

“Sunlight?”

“Burns.” He took a sip of his drink.

“Wooden stakes?”

“Hurt.” He said mildly.

“But if you got stabbed through the heart would it kill you?” I asked eagerly.

He rolled his eyes. “Would it kill you?”

I nodded thoughtfully. “Point made. What about silver?”

“That’s for werewolves.”

“Holy objects? Crosses? Holy water?” He just shook his head. “Can you fly?”

“Can you?”

I sighed, “You’re not exactly giving me a lot of answers here. I mean, why bother to show me what you are if you didn’t want me asking questions?”

He finished his drink and scooted the glass a little away from him. “Boredom, I guess.”

I frowned. I had a lot of questions, but it didn’t seem like he was going to give any real answers. “How old are you?”

“Old.” He quipped quickly.

“You are the worst vampire I’ve ever met!” That earned me a bemused smile.

“You’ve met a lot of us? Didn’t seem like you’d ever seen one five seconds ago.”

I shrugged. “Well the ones in books and on TV are a hell of a lot more interesting than the real thing, I can tell you that much.”

“Really?” He seemed genuinely confused. I just nodded. He made a face and I was beginning to think that all his expressions looked rather nice. Nothing really screwed his face up where it didn’t look attractive. The moment I thought it, I wondered if it was some sort of vampire mind trick. Then I instantly felt like a fool. “Alright…” he said a little exasperated.

I looked at him and felt my brows knit together. “Beg your pardon?”

He turned more toward me on the bar stool and wiped his palms off down the thighs of his jeans. “Super speed, hearing, smell, sight, all to a point. Nothing too comic bookish. Just heightened senses. We drink blood, don’t have to kill people for it, obviously, although that can be more enjoyable.” I must have given him a look because he threw his hands up in a ‘don’t shoot’ gesture and said, “Hey, you asked.” I nodded and let him continue. “The sun sucks, but there are ways to get around it and before you even ask, I’m not going there. We don’t automatically go hide in a coffin when the sun rises. I happen to sleep in a bed.” I suddenly had a mental image of Mr. Vampire in a bed. It wasn’t a bad image.

He went on to debunk a few cliché’s but remained vague enough that I never felt like I got any solid answers. We talked, mostly about him, until the club had thinned down to mere echoes as last call came and went.

We were still sitting at the bar and he frowned as he looked around at the empty club and said, “Looks like they’re going to kick us out.” I laughed, oddly comfortable now that we’d been talking for hours. Conversation can do that; make you put your guard down.

“They can’t kick me out; I’m one of the owners.” He seemed to like that because he flashed me a grin I was beginning to get sweet on; one that crinkled the edges of his eyes ever-so-slightly and was deepened in the curves around his mouth. He had several smiles, but this one, I’d decided, was my favorite so far.

His face sobered and he sighed. “You know I can’t have you telling anyone about me, right?”

I felt my pulse leap into my throat. I nodded a little too fast and said quickly, “Of course not, besides who’d believe me? Hell, I don’t even know your name.”

"It’s Joe.”

“Joe?” I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice.

“Joseph if you want.” He gave a little shrug. “I take it you were expecting something more exotic?”

I felt myself blush again. He was right. I had been anticipating something like _Arturo_ or _Xavier_ or even _Pierre._ At least something foreign-sounding. Unless you were from Bon Temps, vampires tended to sound a little more regal. Joe was just so… so… Joe.

“Well, Joe, I promise not to tell anyone that you’re a member of the undead and drink the blood of silly blondes.” I smiled, but when he didn’t smile back, I quickly schooled my face. His expression seemed almost wistful and when he leaned closer, I felt a little thrill of excitement grip me right in my gut. He got closer, like, ‘I’m going to kiss you’ close, but stopped when we were perfectly eye level, but definitely too far away for a kiss.

“I know you won’t because you’re not going to remember any of this.” He said it like it was a line he’d practiced for years. I felt a frown shaping my face when I noticed the pupils of his eyes narrow to pinholes in those palest of blues. “ _You will not remember any of our conversation here tonight._ ” I started to say something but held my tongue. His voice had gone all eerily monotone, like a hypnotist. “ _You remember helping the blonde get a taxi and then you just enjoyed a few drinks at the bar._ ” It took me only a split second to realize he was using some sort of vampire compulsion on me. The only thing was, it wasn’t working. I tried to digest that notion without letting it show on my face. “ _Close your eyes_.” He commanded softly, and I had two choices; let him know that it wasn’t working and risk him having some sort of vampire freak out where he could potentially kill me, or play along. I chose what I thought to be the intelligent choice. I closed my eyes. “ _You will forget me and when you open your eyes you will decide to call it a night and head home_.” I could smell the scotch on his breath, but I could also smell the musky sweetness of his cologne.

I didn’t hear him shift, but when he spoke again, his voice was in my ear and I had to still my knee-jerk urge to jump out of my skin. “ _Open your eyes_.” I did as he  instructed.

Joe the vampire was nowhere to be seen. The overhead lights had come on in the club signaling for the lingering stragglers to pack it in for the night. Vaguely I wondered if he was watching me from somewhere unseen. Just in case I did as he instructed and headed for the doors and my car. I managed to tell Nichole I was leaving for home and didn’t look back as I left. I couldn’t help but wonder why his compulsion hadn’t worked on me, but it barely seemed to matter. I really couldn’t tell anyone without sounding like a fruity nutcake. Who could believe that I’d just met a vampire? _Joe Vampire_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still reeling from the strange events of the night before, Dawn tries to go on about her life as if she didn't just meet a real life vampire. She didn't...right? RIGHT?

By the next morning, I’d all but convinced myself that I’d made the whole thing up. After all, it was pretty unbelievable. That I’d met a vampire, had a long and interesting conversation with him, and then had been compelled to forget. Only the compulsion hadn’t worked. Convenient for me, but for what? I couldn’t tell anyone and it wasn’t as if I was going to be meeting Joe the vampire again. It was my own personal secret, but it was turning into a borderline obsessive internal dialogue. What did it all mean? Was it real? Why hadn’t the compulsion worked? Was I special? What made me special?

“Earth to Dawn? Are you still asleep over there?” Melissa’s irritated voice finally managed to pull me from my own thoughts. My head shot up to look across the breakfast bar and into the kitchen at my roommate and best friend. “Late night, I take it?” She asked with soft amusement playing over her lightly freckled face.

Melissa was the sort of pale that looked almost pink and burned instantly in our Florida sun. She was tall enough to be a model, but was possibly the most laid back, girl next door, I’d ever met. She wore her strawberry blonde hair short so that it fell in soft layers from her chin to her shoulders. She was pretty without needing to overstate it and she didn’t try to. Melissa wasn’t into make-up or dressing up more than jeans and a simple blouse would allow; assuming she wasn’t working. Most teachers had to have at least some form of formality in how they looked, but I knew Melissa preferred casual Friday to any other day of the week.

“Yeah, sorry,” I muttered, sleep still thick in my voice. My coffee had started to develop a bit of a film over the top as it cooled in the mug I was hovering over. I hadn’t even taken a sip of it since I’d poured it. Melissa busied herself with making toast while I tried to pull myself together enough for conversation.

“Well, are we still going shopping today? I know you said you wanted to buy a new dress for the party tonight.”

“Party?” I asked through a yawn. I brought the mug to my lips and tested the contents. The coffee was still warm enough to drink, but no longer good to simply sit back and sip, which was how I most enjoyed coffee. Melissa gave me an annoyed look as her toast popped up in the toaster. The smell of cooking bread made my mouth water and I decided my coffee needed to be reheated.

“I thought we were still celebrating tonight?” She asked and I racked my brain for the reason we were having said celebration. “Unless you changed your mind? I mean, I know you’re cool with the layoff and all, but no one expects you to dress up and go out if you don’t feel up to it.” Her expression had gone all somber, as if she was the one who had just lost her job.

The company that I had worked for over the last five years had been bought out and practically everyone had been replaced by new workers in Michigan. I was one of the lucky few who had made it through all the other rounds of layoffs and to the last days of the company’s existence. I’d had time to make peace with what was happening. It didn’t make it suck any less, but I wasn’t bent out of shape about it anymore. I had even agreed to a sort of celebration, as suggested by my redheaded roommate. I think she thought it would cheer me up, even though I’d told her a dozen times that I wasn’t upset about it.

Melissa had been my best friend since high school and we had been roommates ever since college. I had decided not to finish but she had gone on to become a teacher in a local high school and was currently going for her masters. It was a constant reminder of what I’d given up, but I’d discovered quickly that school just wasn’t for me. A few classes of feeling like I knew more than the professors and I had called it quits. I had taken an entry level job in the insurance business and had been with the same company ever since. Well, until now. I guess I was a little sad about the whole thing. It felt like the end of an era somehow.

We lived in the same apartment we had been in for three years now. It was in an area of town known as Riverside, though our apartment wasn’t by any means on the water. We were actually very close to a library and a park. It was an area of town that felt somehow separate from the rest of the city. All of the trees and historic houses and streets made it feel like an altogether different place; different time. They had renovated our building before we’d moved in so that it had central heat and air, unlike many of the apartments in the area. Most still had window units. Ours was still an old building; once some old colonial mansion now converted into several apartment units. The floors were wooden and squeaked to speak the story of their age and the walls had been painted and repainted countless times, but it was ours and we liked our little refuge from the city.

Riverside had never felt like the city to me. With its massive trees and quaint shops, it felt like a place on the edge of breaking out. A part of town that was both quiet with its residents and busy with the trendy hot spots it housed. It held a lot of appeal for twenty something's just starting out in life and those senior citizens who kept a firm grasp on the past. Riverside had a little bit of something for anyone really. It was probably why Leigh lived in the area as well. Even if her lifestyle was a little different from ours, it still offered her enough to make her want to live there.

“Oh yeah. No, it’s cool. I haven’t changed my mind.” The microwave beeped and I withdrew my steaming coffee. The first sip burned across my tongue in a sweet and bitter wash that made me close my eyes with delight. “Mmm, hot coffee,” I muttered and Melissa rolled her eyes and spoke around her toast.

“Alright, well, if we’re going to go shopping and have lunch with Leigh then I figure we need to head out of here in the next 15 minutes or so.” Melissa was meticulous. Must have been part of being a math teacher. It worked for her, but being so planned out all the time did not work for me.

I stared down at my reheated coffee and frowned. “I guess.” It seemed I wouldn’t get to savor the drink even on the second attempt.

“Hey, you sure you’re okay?” Melissa put a gentle hand on my shoulder and I found my gaze wandering to that carefully placed hand.

I forced a tired smile at her and shrugged. “Yeah, just had a weird, late night.” It was the truth, sort of.

My roommate just nodded. “Nothing you want to talk about though?”

I shook my head. Sure, it would have been nice to tell her about Joe Vampire, but knowing Melissa, she’d just blame it on alcohol and an overactive imagination.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me a comment or kudo's if you're diggin it! I really appreciate the feedback :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An even shorter chapter where Dawn has all but convinced herself that her strange encounter was simply a run in with your average-run-of-the-mill douche. Also, shopping with the girls.

“No, I can’t watch Turbo tonight. I’m sorry, it’s my friend. She just lost her job and we’re trying to cheer her up with a party. Tomorrow night I can. Sure. Alright, okay, goodbye.” Leigh had a volleyball player’s body, was always on her cell phone, and was a self-proclaimed workaholic. She was an accountant for a local trucking company and somehow ended up watching her boss's dog or condo on a semi-regular basis as well. She also attended elbow rubbing parties and local football games with them. Leigh always said it was nothing more than networking for a husband. She had every intention of marrying rich.

“Sorry about that.” She smiled and dropped her glittering, pink cell phone back into her oversized purse and grabbed her Coke. “So, what’s new?” She asked innocently. Melissa and I both shrugged as we chewed on French fries. We had made it to the mall, though I’d made us a little later than Melissa had wanted. Still, we’d managed to do a little power shopping, find me a dress and order our lunch before Leigh showed up to join us.

“Well, Dawn met a guy last night, but won’t talk about it.” Melissa blurted suddenly.

I almost swallowed a whole fry.

“Melissa!” I howled as I fought not to choke. My eyes began to tear up from the struggle and I went for my drink.

Both friends simply laughed at my misfortune, with Melissa declaring in triumph, “I knew it!”

“Ooh, I want to know about it!” Leigh begged as she unwrapped her lunch. I just shook my head and coughed back the bits of fry I had lodged in my throat.

“There’s nothing to know.” I managed between gulps of iced tea.

“Liar!” Melissa exclaimed. “I knew it had to be a guy. C’mon, tell us!”

“Was he hot?” Leigh interjected with utter excitement written all over her face. Oh, the important questions. I kept shaking my head, but I could feel my cheeks warming. There was no getting around it. I’d been found out. Well, sort of. I knew I had to concede to my loss.

“Alright, alright… maybe there was a guy.” Leigh and Melissa both visibly leaned closer like two kids waiting for a secret to be revealed. I rolled my eyes and replied quickly. “There’s nothing to tell guys! He was a douche okay? Yes, he was hot, but he was a douche. The end.” I could tell they weren’t satisfied with my answer, but I couldn’t very well tell them the truth. That I’d met a vampire who had coincidentally tried to make me forget we’d ever met and who I would probably never see again so it wasn’t as if I could prove it. Well, what I thought was the truth, at least. Most women could let it go if the impression was given that the guy in question was a jerk. Unless said guy was somewhere within ear or eyeshot and then, he became the center of snide remarks and venomous stares.

“So, did you find something to wear tonight?” Leigh asked, thankfully changing the subject.

I nodded and withdrew the form-fitting black number from its respective bag. “I’m going to wear it with booties, I think.” I shrugged.

“Nice.” Leigh nodded her approval, but gave me a sideways look that said our conversation on the subject of a hot guy was far from over even if they had let it go for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments/kudos = <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dawn heads out for a night out with friends when she has the most unlikely deja vu...

Our shopping and lunch outing ended fairly quickly as the day gave way to night. Despite Melissa being my designated driver and reminding me repeatedly of the time, I was still late to my own festivities. It was a Saturday night at the club and by the time we arrived, it was already full to the brim. Nichole, Leigh, and Lawrence had started the pre-party long before Melissa and I arrived and as soon as we got there I had a drink thrust into my hands and was being dragged out onto the dance floor.

“Sorry about your job,” Lawrence yelled over the pounding music. We were all dancing together like our own little troupe. No one particularly dancing alike, but we were all huddled together in a sort of mass to ward off others. We had to discourage a few gropers away from Nichole, but in the end, a pretty girl with dark hair had gotten the proprietors attention enough for her to slip free of our circle. I shook my head and smiled.

“It’s okay, I’ll find something else sooner or later,” I called, trying to get my voice to carry over the beat. Lawrence shrugged and took my free hand to spin me around. Lawrence taught dancers when he wasn’t doing business for the club. His mother was the director of the Florida Ballet and he taught stage acting to the students. He didn’t teach ballet, but the man understood movement.

“Have you started looking yet?” He asked and I shook my head. My high pony-tail bobbed with the motion. I’d pulled my long, brown hair up to show off my shoulders in the wide neckline of the dress. Chandelier earrings framed my face well with my hair pulled back and the slight pompadour bump I’d styled into my hair made my face appear thinner overall. At least, I thought it did.

Lawrence looked comfortable in his dressed-up, dressed-down style. He wasn’t a particularly tall guy. In fact, both Leigh and Melissa were taller than him, but he held his height well and didn’t see it as any sort of hindrance. He’d worn plain black slacks and had a dark green button down tucked in and half unbuttoned to show a comic T-shirt underneath. It was about as dressed up as he got without complaint. He was one of those laid back types that cleaned up well. He had a soft goatee that was a brown bordering on auburn with tawny bits of red showing through to match his dark auburn hair, which he kept cut in a cropped style that was long enough on top for a bit of his natural curl to show through.

“I’m going for another drink, does anyone want more?” Leigh shouted, already turning toward the bar. I nodded and so did Lawrence. Leigh turned to Melissa and asked, “Can you help me carry everything?” Melissa just nodded and began to push through the crowd with Leigh. I watched as the throng of people swallowed them up like a hungry ocean while filling in the space they’d left until they were pressed against Lawrence and me.

The air was thick with heat and the scent of bodies. Vaguely, I could smell the coolant in the air-conditioning as it fought to keep the temperature of the club down to something comfortable. Out on the dance floor, however, it was failing miserably and combined with the alcohol in my system, the room was beginning to get that slightly fuzzy, surreal effect to it that comes from a good buzz.

The music changed again and the squeal of delight erupted from my mouth without warning. “I love this song!” I announced as my body began to involuntarily sway with the rhythm of the music. I was smiling and singing the lyrics as Lawrence began laughing at me. He was shaking his head as I reveled in the beat, but his expression sobered suddenly as his eyes shifted to something a little above and behind my head. I made a face and was asking, “What? What’s wrong?” Before I turned my head to see for myself. I prayed the surprise hadn’t shown on my face as I quickly averted my eyes.

“Mind if I cut in?” His voice was light, even as it carried over me, and Lawrence gave me a questioning look that said it was up to me. I knew that if I’d made a face he wouldn’t have let anyone else dance with me, but Lawrence wasn’t my boyfriend. He was a good friend, a proverbial brother, and he would never covet me.

I held my breath and nodded once. Lawrence’s eyes traveled back to the inquirer and he took a step away from me to make space. I saw his hand go out in an invitation and the body that filled the space was Joe’s. Somehow, in all the scenarios I’d played out in my head that day, seeing Joe again at the club hadn’t been one of them. In fact, I hadn’t really expected to see him again, ever. Especially considering he’d done some vampire mumbo jumbo to get me to forget him. Though, that hadn’t worked, but he didn’t know that. Did he?

His body slid into the beat of the song as if he’d practiced the steps. The rhythm came naturally to him and I realized with a start that I wasn’t dancing. I’d stopped moving when he’d come fully into view. He wasn’t as tall as I’d thought the night before. Now that he wasn’t sitting, his height was evident. It didn’t mean he was short. I’d have pegged him at about five ten or so. It wasn’t exactly tall, but compared to my 5’4” frame, it was tall enough.

I took four counts to start moving again and tried my best to match his steps with my own. The song had both a Latin feel in the verses and a dance throb in the chorus. It called for a certain type of dirty dancing, which most of the crowded floor was eagerly attempting to oblige. Joe and I still had a bit of space between us, but he was quickly claiming it and the closer he got the less air I seemed to breathe.

“I’m Joe.” He commented loudly over the music. Of course, he was Joe. I knew who he was, but he wasn’t supposed to know that I knew.

I swallowed hard. “Dawn,” I replied, knowing that a vampire had to see the irony in my name. I watched the smile spread across his face. It was the good smile. The one I’d decided last night was my favorite.

“You’re a pretty good dancer.” He complimented me with that good smile of his and I nodded once.

“You’re not so bad yourself.”

He offered his hands and instinctively I took them. It just happened. They weren’t cold or hard like marble or any other strange description that gets associated with vampires. They were just hands, albeit very nice, long, strong hands, but they were warm and alive and hands.

Maybe it had been the alcohol or stress before? Maybe it had all been a joke or a hallucination or maybe I’d never met Joe Vampire and was just now meeting Joe Human who just happened to be his doppelganger? Maybe they were just really, really similar or maybe I was just a crazy person. All I knew was that I was dancing with a very attractive man with a very good smile, to a song I loved, while catching a slight buzz. The night was looking up.

The chorus dropped in with its Dubstep sound and Joe suddenly pulled me against him. I gasped a little at the suddenness of it, but my body seemed to know what we were supposed to be doing. I moved when he moved, my hips mirroring his, and suddenly we were a part of that dirty dancing the beat seemed to call for.

I was holding my breath, which is never a good thing in a crowded club where it’s hot and alcohol is involved. Was this how he seduced his victims? Did he out himself to them for fun, compel them to forget and then stalk them the next day only to sexy dance with them before draining them in a bathroom? Was this all some big set up to feed on me? Had I been marked as a target to this vampire? I had been willing to believe that I’d made the whole thing up. In which case, it meant I was just really lucky and getting to sexy dance with a hot guy rather than a twisted member of the undead who got his jollies off in a very strange way.

“What are you thinking about?”

His voice cut through the music and straight to my ears and all I could manage was a dumbfounded, “Huh?”

“You look like you’re thinking pretty hard about something.” He continued, flashing me that smoldering smirk of his.

“Oh, uh, no, not thinking.” I blurted, feeling stupid and awkward the instant the words fell from my lips.

I held fast to my more positive outlook and tried to just enjoy the moment, but songs are only about five minutes long and end all too soon when you’re into them. As the music faded into another tune Joe smiled down at me and asked, “Can I get you a drink?” My eyes immediately darted in the direction my friends had disappeared to. I tried to catch a glimpse of Leigh or Lawrence or anyone through the throng of sweaty dancers, but it was just too crowded and the dance floor was in a recessed part of the club. Even if Leigh had already bought me a drink, she never minded having to double fist her alcohol.

I nodded to Joe and said, “Sure.”

I felt something brush against my hand and I looked down just as Joe’s finger’s wrapped around mine. My breath caught a little in my throat. It was a mixed bag of feeling partial fear and partial excitement. On the one hand, it could have been a vampire taking my hand to lead me to his feeding grounds and yet, on the more realistic hand, it could just be the thrill of meeting someone in a club who gave me the giggles when he touched me. I was hoping it was the latter. Meeting a real life vampire seemed like a cool thing in theory but probably wouldn’t end well. Being a consenting adult and all, meeting a good looking guy in a club and having a few drinks together had much better possibilities.

He drew me along and through the crowd as if I wouldn’t have been able to make it without him. He didn’t part the sea of people like some evil Moses and no one particularly paid us any attention as we passed. I took that as another good sign that I’d just been delirious the night before and Joe wasn’t actually a vampire. When we reached the bar it was just as busy as the dance floor had been but Joe was a good looking guy and it didn’t take much for one of the female bartenders to come over and ask him what he wanted to drink. I paid special attention to the order. It was two glasses of our most expensive scotch. He paid with cash and tipped the woman nearly half what the drinks were worth.

I resisted the urge to make a face when he handed me what was to be my drink, but he seemed to read my mind when he said, “I know most women don’t drink whiskey, but I figure everything’s worth a try.” I stared down at the amber liquid in the squatty little glass and gave him a look that said there was a reason most women didn’t drink this stuff. Hell, I didn’t think most men drank this stuff.

“Are you going to offer me a Cuban cigar next?” I asked and that earned me a smile. Joe shrugged and we moved away from the crowded bar.

“Do you have any?” I rolled my eyes and returned his smile before ducking my nose into the rim of the glass. I jerked my face away involuntarily. It smelled like Band-Aids in there and my nose scrunched up in disgust. I could hear Joe’s throaty chuckle behind me and I couldn’t keep myself from smiling a little at the sound. “Just try it.” He said with a swirl of his own glass before tipping it back for a sip. I stared at my drink again and didn’t try to hide my apprehension before putting my mouth to the glass and lifting the amber liquid to my lips.

It burned and I was immediately hit with the smoky, peaty, taste of the scotch. I swallowed it quickly and made a sound that probably just sounded like revulsion. I heard that masculine laughter again and glanced sideways at Joe.

“Just give it a second.” He instructed and I stopped swallowing convulsively long enough to do as he asked. The aftertaste of the whiskey was strangely sweet and I had lingering hints of almond, honey and even citrus on my tongue. It was… unexpected. “See? Just keep sipping it.” He smiled again and led us farther out of the thicket of people.

I kept my scotch, even if it did smell like Band-Aids and taste like hot smoke. After a few sips, I felt like I was starting to taste those subtle hints of sweetness and it wasn’t so bad anymore. By my second glass, I was actually enjoying the manly spirit.

“I still can’t believe you got me to drink this stuff,” I muttered around my glass.

“I still can’t believe you own this place,” Joe said, glancing around the cozy V.I.P room. We had managed to join back up with the rest of my friends and after a few suspicious looks from Melissa and Leigh, we were back to business as usual.

“Well, partially own. Nichole owns the majority.” I corrected, lifting my glass to the petite brunette.

“Well, either way, you guys have a really nice place here,” Joe said easily, swirling the ice in his nearly empty glass. Everyone nodded their thank yous and raised their glasses.

“Shots?” Nichole asked suddenly. We had reached the point in the evening where shots were probably not the best idea, but we had also reached the point in the evening where no one really cared anymore. Only Melissa sat with a glass filled with something non-alcoholic.

Nichole started to get up when Lawrence stood with her. “I can get them.” He offered and she grinned.

“Thank you! I’ll come with.” She bubbled and the two descended the darkened stairs and back down to the pulse of the club.

“Well, I’ve got to pee.” Leigh shared, much louder than I think she intended to. I felt my eyes dart in her direction. I meant to scold her with the look, but she was giving me one of her own that said clearly, I was supposed to come with her. My eyes slid to Melissa and I sighed.

“I guess we’re all going then,” I muttered and scooted from my chair.

“Except you, Joe.” Leigh slurred obviously.

He had the grace to smile. “Wouldn’t dream of it, ladies.” I licked my lips, suddenly reminded of the blonde I’d found in the bathroom the night before. It had been real, hadn’t it? She’d had bite marks on her neck. Joe had said it was him. He’d confessed he was a vampire and had attacked her and erased her memory. That had happened, right? I kept trying to remind myself of what I’d seen. Trying to convince myself that I hadn’t just imagined it all in some drunken stupor, but with the actual warm, intoxicated feeling fogging up my thoughts, all I could manage to think about was how good Joe looked smiling across the table.

In the restroom, Leigh called out from inside her stall. “Oh my god, Dawn, is that the douche from last night you were talking about?” I should have expected it by the looks both she and Melissa had been giving me for most of the night. That and the little snickers they had been exchanging. Still, I felt my face redden as I washed my hands in the long line of sinks.

“Um… he’s not really a douche.” I winced as I tried to smooth over the comment I’d made earlier that day.

“Well, he’s definitely hot,” Leigh added. Melissa gave me a look through the mirror that said I was not getting out of explaining myself.

“So what’s different about tonight? Why would you even talk to him again if he was a douche to you last night, hm?” Melissa asked as Leigh took her place at the sink. I checked my makeup in the mirror and made a face.

“Look, I had a few drinks last night, he and I talked, then he just sort of left.” It wasn’t a complete lie. I just left out the part about him being a self-confessed vampire. Assuming that part had actually happened. I was still debating it with myself.

“And what, he has a dance with you, buys you a drink and is suddenly not a douche anymore?” Leigh dried her hands and fished in her purse for what I assumed would be some stick of makeup to reapply. She puckered her lips in the mirror and gave me a sideways glance from its reflection. “We just want you to be smart about this, Dawn.” She carefully rolled the gloss onto her lips and I heard myself huff in frustration.

“Guys, I’m a grown woman. If I want to call a guy a douche one night and decide to sleep with him the next, then that’s my prerogative.” I stated firmly, though even I could hear the smile in my voice.

“What?” Leigh stopped with her gloss in mid stroke across her bottom lip. Her mouth was in that slightly exaggerated _O_ shape as she stared at me with what began as mild disbelief and quickly transformed into a toothy grin. “You slut! Are you going to sleep with him tonight?” She demanded and I started laughing. I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or my good mood or what, but I shrugged as casually as I could.

“Dawn, you just met him!” Melissa chimed in from beside Leigh. I inhaled a deep breath and tightened my ponytail.

“Correction; I met him _yesterday_ ,” I grinned wolfishly and we all laughed.

Outside the restroom, the overwhelming pulse of the music swallowed us back up. One moment we had been able to talk in something slightly higher than an inside voice and the next we were back to practically screaming in one another’s ears. I started to lead the girls back into the swell of constantly shifting bodies when I saw Joe coming towards us. I stopped moving as he came within reach and smiled.

“Hey, I was going to ask if you wanted to dance… again.” He was doing that smile I liked. The one that crinkled around his pale eyes and deepened around the smirk that pulled up one corner of his mouth. He stood there in the dimness of the club with his hands thrust into his jean pockets, looking harmless and not at all like a vampire. I didn’t even let myself think it through before my mouth was moving.

“You want to get out of here?” I’ve never been the sort that asks a guy to come home with her. It’s not usually my style. I’m not saying I’m a prude; I’ve gone home with a guy or two, but on those rare occasions, I was the one being asked. I was either being ballsy or slutty or a combination of the two. Either way, it had been said, the invitation extended.

I licked my lips in anticipation for his reaction and could feel my friends holding their breath behind me. The good thing about my group of friends was they knew when to interfere and when to back off. They might tease and joke in the confines of a ladies bathroom, but at the end of the night, they were anything but cock-blockers. They would keep you from going home with a serial killer if they thought that might be the case, but by their silence, I knew they didn’t believe Joe was. Point for him.

I watched his eyes as he looked me over once like he was sizing me up, considering it. I could almost see the little wheels turning behind those striking blue eyes. I saw him tilt his head ever so slightly in the direction of the exit before extending one of those long, strong hands toward me.

“Let’s go.” Two little words. He’d said it evenly and with a little smirk that said he knew exactly what he was agreeing to, and yet I couldn’t help be feel like he’d flipped the request so it was he who was asking me. With his hand hanging out in the air, waiting for me, I knew he had.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> I know paragraphs aren't indented, but the rich text on here hates me and it usually removes most of my indents so it's easier to remove them all. Let me know if you're diggin it and would like to see more. Its finished, technically, but I won't put it all up if there isn't an interest.


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